My Kind of Food

Book excerpt: My Kind of Food is a very personal book from John Torode, full of the food that he loves to cook and eat, recipes that he makes away from the cameras and professional kitchens. In John's words: 'My world as I know it started with my Nanna's roasting tin, a chicken and a wooden spoon. The food she cooked was always simple, but delicious. Her cauliflower cheese was awesome, her caramel slice wonderful and I am still searching for a recipe to make her apple tea cake. So life started simply for me. Since then I have cooked in professional kitchens, run my own restaurants and done a lot of telly. Some of you may have eaten in my restaurants, some may have seen me on MasterChef, but I guess that not many of you know what I really cook for myself and my friends and family. This book is about how I cook at home and the chapters reflect me and the things in life I love - how I eat and how I cook. At its heart, it is simple, but it's definitely also influenced by my years in restaurant kitchens. I don't tend to define my food by type or style. I guess you could say that these are my real favourites - a behind-the-scenes look at my own kitchen!' BRUNCH TO LUNCH The Aussie in me is all about eating through the morning. My perfect day starts slowly - if breakfast is the meal of kings, then brunch is the food of emperors. FOR THE FAMILY Although I am a professional cook, I have a number of dishes that I rely on at home. They are all tried-and-tested, some are posh, some are simple, but all are favourites. IN A RUSH I cook every day, but sometimes it needs to be quick and easy. But there's no reason why a quick meal should not be tasty. STORES AND LEFTOVERS Great food is created from necessity. Open your cupboards and look for the potential in your fridge. For many a minefield, but for me a gold mine. These are the recipes I know well from being a boy and watching in wonder what could be made with a bit of this and a bit of that. Not complicated just delicious. ALL OUTSIDE Well, I am an Aussie. Some of the best food in the world is cooked outside, where having fun is as important as cooking. AND TO FINISH I love a good dessert. A proper steaming pudding with thick custard or real ice cream. It's all about being a kid and not caring about sugar and spice. Cakes and tarts and pies and lots of them.